Updates and Holiday Lane

 A couple of weeks ago, Quiltmakers magazine had their 100 Blocks Tour Hop. Talk about creativity!  These quilters design some of the most awesome blocks.

Most all of the participants have a chance to win the magazine, and sometimes add additional prizes.

I got lucky at Whistlepig Creek Productions. I won the magazine and these fun patterns, and wonderful fabrics. I have several of their patterns and fabrics in my stash.  Looks like I will be busy creating!

  



The next week I was the lucky winner at Quilttaffy  of these 2 charmpacks, Cotton Chevron, by Riley Blake Designs.  I would not believe my good luck.  I have a couple ideas of what I might make with these wonderful fabrics.

Back in October I entered a contest that Madame Samm had that was for this brand new book,  Home Sweet Quilt, by Jill Finley, of Jillily Studio.  Jill is the creator of the darling pattern we are using for the Holiday Lane Blog Hop.

Don't forget, her is the lineup for the remaining week.

Tuesday November 27

Cindy's Crafty Creations

Woolie Mammoth

Lily Patch Quilts

Insanity Defense

Ginger Snaps Quilts

quiltingbydawn

Scrapbook-Chickadoodle

Mama Spark's World

Marla's Crafts

Annie Oak Designs

Count it *all* Joy

Stitching by the Lake

A Stitch in Time

Wednesday November 28

Quilt n Queen

Keep your fork There's pie

Quilts My Way

Grandma's Stories

Quiltscapes

Espritpatch

Quilt on the Edge

Farm Road Ramblings

Rose Prairie Quilts and Farm

Peach Patch Quilts

Cherry's Prairie Primitives

Mary Jo - that other blog

Thursday November 29

Words & Stitches

Trying to Blog

Peanut's Patchwork

Moosestash Quilting

A Loose Thread

stitch, stitch, stitch

In Stitches and Seams

Hooked on Quilting

A Reformed Heath'n

Elaine - that other blog

As Sweet as Peaches

The Learning Curve Quilts and Such

Geema's Wonderings

Friday November 30

J Kafer on the Net

Busy as Can Be

Dachsies With Moxie

28 Peppermint Grove

Marjorie's Busy Corner

Kris Loves Fabric

Linda - that other blog

Dora Quilts

Shedding the Wolf

Quilting, Sewing Granny

Creative Notions

Chickadees Country Cottage Crafts

Madame Samm @ Sew We Quilt

 

 

Have a great rest of the week.  Happy Sewing.

 

Mary

Finishes, prizes, surprises

My friend Jan with one of the pillows she finished for daughters. She started these at the retreat in September. Well done Jan!

I received this wonderful mug rug from Cathy in Australia, in an exchange with an online group I belong to.

A finish for me!  I won this cute paper pieced pattern from Marsha Hodgkins in a blog hop. Last evening I finished putting my "dodads" on it.  I think it turned out very well.

I finished these two autumn themed mug rugs.  I have been practicing my straight line quilting.  I made these while I was visiting with my friend in Michigan last week. (That is another post!)

Working at the computer, and using my new mug rug.

I received these lovelies from my Dear Jane secret pal.  Love those fabrics. Aren't those stripes wonderful?

Check out the prize I won from Madame Samm. I received the new book by Jill Finley.  She is the author of the pattern we will be using in November for the Holiday Day Lane blog hop.

Progress on my Halloween table runner using the Schnibbles pattern, Full House.

New patterns.  I started a thimbles (tumblers) quilt while was gone.  Now if I could only find the plastic template! I seem to have lost it. I sure hope it is amongst my projects from last week!

You know me. If I use one pattern and like it, I made more then one!  Just could not resist one more bowls quilt!

I was gone again last week. This time to visit my friend Pat in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  I'll post about that wonderful trip,soon.  (We did a lot of sewing!)

Have a great weekend. Happy sewing!

Mary

Progress and 3 Wins

Look what I finished today.  It was Thursday sew, and I made it my mission to finish this quilt top.  This is the Prairie Flowers block that we made in the friendship swap group.  I like how it turned out.  Now to make the back, and another project is off my list.  Yea!!

Remember this from the other day.  It is now a little top to hand quilt.  I put this one, and the next together on Wednesday.  Both are now ready for the hand work.

Just before Christmas, I had a couple of "wins".  This first one is from Kris at Dandelion Quilts..  She had made an extra mug rug, and was going to share.  I won the share!!  I love this mug rug.  Such a clever idea.
Kris is having an accessory bag swap.  Check it out.  Who knows, maybe I will be your swap partner.

This little pile of goodies was from the Blog Hop Party that was held earlier in December.  There were 242 blogs included in this hop, sponsored by the Quilting Gallery.  This prize came from Sewhooked.  Shegave this cute paper pieced quilt pattern and the 30's fabrics. This was right up my alley.  I had ordered one of her patterns in early December to play with.  Now I have another great one to try.

This box of wonderful prizes came from Judy in North Carolina.  Her site isShade Tree Quilting. This was so neat.  I have the charm pack ready to use for another "Lil Twister" quilt.  Do not have much for Valentine's Day, and thought this would work out just right.  There was a copy of the 100 Blocks magazine,  which I love.  There are so many great ideas in it.

Just wanted to let you know I did get busy and work on my projects.  Let's hope I can keep it up.  So far so good.

Have a great rest of the week, and weekend.
Happy sewing.

Mary

Random thoughts

This morning as I was reading blogs I ran across some interesting thoughts. At Magnolia Bay Quilts, Kim referred to a blog on on Dawn Heese site, Linen Closet Quilts, about being a better blogger. Sometimes I think what is going on may not interest anyone. Actually, since we came back from my husbands family reunion earlier in August, I have just plain been in a funk. No machine sewing, a little hand work, cleaning out a couple closets, putting some card making supplies in order and a little reading. This past week, sewing started looking up. I had purchased this great book by Mary Lou Weidman recently, and have been thinking about trying one of her great ideas.
Recently, I had won this great tote bag, and fabrics from her blog Mary Lou and Whimsy Too.
She has such great ideas and creativity. Maybe I need to step out of my comfort box.

Last Saturday my husband and I drove to Lincoln, Illinois for a balloon festival and outdoor art show and flea market. The balloons did not launch at 5:00 as it was too windy. They did, however, have a balloon glow. About 17 balloon were blown up and tethered at dusk. As the sun went down you could see the "glow" as they light up their balloons. It was fantastic. You could walk around the crew and balloons. The announcer would give a command and the balloons would light all together.

This was the only "special shape" balloon called "Sea Fantasy." It was so cool to see. There were was a fish and a star fish and a dolphin attached to it.

Here are 3 other balloons being inflated. On our way home we stopped in Plano, to see if we could catch a glimpse of any changes on the Superman movie set. Did see this overturned car. We have found out that there is a sequel being considered to this movie. Everyone is anxious to see it and check out all the area where filming has been so far. Movie is not scheduled to come out until June 2013. Bummer!! There is a site on Facebook devoted to this movie and Superman sightings.

At our scrap club meeting this past week Donna showed this darling pinwheel quilt made out of half square triangles. It is such a sweet wall hanging.

Last but not least this is what I have finally been working on. It is the "Zippy Strippy" bag by Atkinson Designs. As you can see 5 are done, and 5 more need zippers. Naturally, I don't have the right color zipper. More shopping to do!

I am keeping busy, but at a slower pace right now. I am getting ready to go on a quilt retreat at Iron Mountain, Michigan the middle of September. My friend Pat and several of her quilting buddies and I are going to "Quilt Camp". I think they are going to work on the "Civil War Diary"quilt, and I am going to work on one called "Apron Strings". I need to start pulling fabric.

Have a great week, and thank you for stopping by.


Mary

Mini projects and a Prize

This was a busy weekend. On Saturday, I took a workshop with Lisa Bongean of Primitive Gatherings. Her shop is in Menasha, Wisconsin. Pride of the Prairie Quilt Guild hosted her as a speaker and teacher. We all worked on this cute Pumpkin Table Mat. If you can ever get to her shop, it is wonderful. Full of inspiration. Plus, she has an on-line business too. I have all my pumpkins stitched down and some of my leaves. Would like to have it done for my table on Thanksgiving Day. We'll see how that goes. Sunday I worked on a couple small projects. You know, those kits you purchase and finally get to them. These are 2 Holiday Cones. Ok so they are Halloween. But now that I know how cute and fast they work up, I can see using some Christmas fabrics, then there is Valentines, Easter, oh the possibilies.

I made 3 mug rugs. They seem to be all the rage. They have shown up on several bloggers sites. They are so cute. I just did a couple simple ones. Now there is a great way to use some precut l 1/2 inch strips from your stash. I just pulled some Christmas strips, and sewed them to batting, cut a piece for backing and bound. The tree one, I had some Christmas fabric that I cut into a tree shape, top stitched it down, on my backing fabric, and batting. Added a star to the top of the tree, cut backing, bound and I was done. I have seen so many cute ones, and now want to try some others. Quick and cute Christmas presents, or a birthday gift, or thank you to a hostess. Now I need to add these to my to do list!!!!

And last but definately no least, I won a prize! and a wonderful prize at that. Checked out the 100 Blocks Designers from Quiltmaker Magazine. Every day there were featured block designers. There were prizes offered, by both Quiltmaker Magazine, and designers. Well I won a first prize from "Miss Rosie's Quilt Company". Carrie Nelson made block # 187, Chunky Monkey on page 65. (She autographed her block for me, too.) How cool is that. I received a neat project bag. Two layer cakes by French General for Moda. The new book by Kim Diehl, Simple Graces, which I was hoping to get for Christmas. The Mini Fit to be Geese pattern and ruler by Open Gate, Monique Dillard and the Perfect Piecing Seam Guice, from Perkins Dry Goods. (Did someone tell Carrie that I have a hard time with those quarter inch seams?) All wonderful things to play with!!

I could not believe it. I always say I never win anything, but I sure can't say that anymore. This was just too fabulous. I am still smiling. I keep checking everything out. What fun. Thank you, thank you. I have also, gotten the two quilts bound and done that I wanted to., No pictures yet. It was a good weekend. Weather wasn't so great. Is it Spring yet??

Tudy's prize

Look what I won!! Yesturday I received this lovely prize from Tudy. I is so nice. Tudy, you do such beautiful embroidery. The tatted bookmark is so neat. I love to read and fold too many pages, or use odd bits of paper to mark my place. Just what I needed. Love the needle case. I am going to be starting a new embroidery project and the floss and needle case are perfect.

Thank you I love it all.